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Forum » Sax Equipment » Baritone reeds on tenor sax


by BruceB
(4 posts)
18 years ago

Baritone reeds on tenor sax

Hi all, I'm new here. I play mostly jazz professionally, own a recording studio, been playing seriously about 20 years. I was at a trade show awhile ago and the Rico guy gave me a bari reed, said just try this on your tenor. I was amazed at the sound- big, loud, fat- I love it. I am currently using a Berg Larson mouthpiece(still searching for the holy grail) on a Selmer MkVI tenor. Reed strength 3- 31/2 Anyone else doing this? The only problem is sometimes I get more squeaks. What is the exact cause of squeaks? I havent been doing any trimming to fit the mouthpiece, perhaps that will help. Regards, BruceB

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  2. by Dave Dix
    (421 posts)
    18 years ago

    Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

    I have often used a bari reed on tenor for a big fat sound. Try going down a strength in reeds. (i use a berg mpc as well ) Dave

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    1. by BruceB
      (4 posts)
      18 years ago

      Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

      Have you done any trimming in size to fit the Berg? I have gone down 1/2 strength and it works well. Any squeak problems?? it usually happens after the reed has been played a bit. BruceB

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      1. by Dave Dix
        (421 posts)
        18 years ago

        Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

        I never bother trimming the reeds to fit. No squeeks but i have been playing nearly 35 years Dave

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        1. by saxophonik
          (73 posts)
          18 years ago

          Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

          Quick question: Are you talking about BARITONE SAX reeds, or BARI BRAND reeds? I'm just a little confused by what you're actually talking about. If you're talking about actual baritone sax reeds on tenor, I'm curious as to how that would actually work: is there a lot of trimming involved, the overall tone, would it take a while to learn to control the obvious embochure problems it would create, would it work for thinner metal mouthpieces (I use a Dukoff, for example)... a little clarification and/or more info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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        2. by peter090
          (155 posts)
          18 years ago

          Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

          Using bari sax reeds on tenor mouthpieces was a fairly common practice among jazz players when I was younger. At the time there weren't anywhere near the choices in reed cuts there are now and using bari reeds gave you another option as far as sound. I think Plas Johnson was one of the more famous proponents of this but I may be remembering incorrectly. As a side note, for years I used clarinet reeds on soprano as the sop reeds were harder to come by and word of mouth had it that the clarinet reeds were made of better cane.

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        3. by BruceB
          (4 posts)
          18 years ago

          Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

          saxophonic: I meant baritone reeds, not the brand. I just "plug + play" with them, they give a great sound with no adjustment- either trimming or with my embouchure. I do get some squeaks sometimes- only with some reeds. peter090- I'll have to try the clarinet reeds on soprano while I am experimenting with swapping horses...

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        4. by saxophonik
          (73 posts)
          18 years ago

          Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

          Thank you peter090 and BruceB for the clarification. I'm going to do a little experimenting.... IF I can get a bari sax reed to fit my Dukoff... As for the clarinet reeds on soprano: I use them on mine. They work great, and, for some reason, there seem to be less inconsistancies within a full pack of clarinet reeds as opposed to a pack of soprano reeds. (Maybe I've just been lucky, though :)

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        5. by ebert
          (18 posts)
          18 years ago

          Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

          One cause of squeaking is a leak between the flat part of the reed and the mouthpiece (where it touches). Uneven mpc tables or unevenness on the smooth part of the reed can also do it. So I am thinking the extra reed that extends past the mouthpiece is creating small leaks similar to this.

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        6. by BruceB
          (4 posts)
          18 years ago

          Re: Baritone reeds on tenor sax

          That might explain why some reeds squeak and some don't. I've lately been polishing the flat side of the reed which helps. I have also been using some synthetics, absolutely no squeaks and decent sound. So far I like the fibracell and a Hahn from Germany.I've only found one store in Colorado that has them. They sound great. I've only tried tenor synths, not bari yet.

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